Shear-type cutter assembly



Dec. 19, 1967 K. FREI SHEAR-TYPE CUTTER ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 21, 1966 FIGJ FIG.2.

INVENTOR Karl Frei ATTORNEY United States Patent 4 Claims. cl. 83-554) This invention relates generally to cutting tools and more particularly to a novel shears-type cutter.

Primary objects of the present invention are to provide novel power operated shears in which a piece of thread or the like can be brought into close proximity to an area in which it will be severed upon activation of the shears; the shears are normally stored in a protected position within a housing; and novel blade actuating means are provided for the cooperating cutting blades of the shears.

These, together with other objects and advantages, will become apparent from a consideration of the specification when considered in conjunction with the drawing forming a part thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of a shears-type cutter assembly illustrating the invention, with parts broken away to show details, and showing by means of phantom lines the cutting position of the cutter blades; and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the plane of line 2--2 of FIG. 1, showing by phantom lines the actuated position of the parts.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a power operated shears is indicated generally at 10 and comprises a body member 12 including a power section 14 from which projects a forwardly disposed housing section 16.

The power section 14 includes a preferably, but not necessarily, cylindrical shell 18, closed at the rear end 20 in any suitable manner, and in this exemplary embodiment, by the flange 21 of a mounting bracket 22.

Suitable electrical connecting posts or the like are provided at 24 for the purpose of supplying electrical current to the solenoid-operator to be described in detail. Although the power means, in this exemplary embodiment is illustrated as being a solenoid, other comparable means (although not shown) could be utilized.

The shell 18 includes therein a suitably energized solenoid coil 26 having an axial bore 28 in which is disposed a magnetically-attractive armature indicated generally at 30. The armature 30 comprises a shaft portion 32 normally disposed within the bore 28 and having joined thereon an intermediate shoulder portion 34 and a terminal head 36. Circumposed about the shaft 32 in engagement between the inner surface of the forward wall 38 of the shell 18 and the shoulder portion 34 is a return spring 40 which normally maintains the parts in the positions shown in solid lines on the drawing.

When the solenoid coil 26 is energized, the armature will move to the phantom line position shown in FIG. 2.

The shell 18 has integrally fixed thereto a forwardly projecting, downwardly-opening housing or cover element 42, which is of suflicient length to normally cover or enclose the cutter blades of the shears.

The armature shaft portion 32 projects through an aperture 44 of the wall 38 of the shell, and has fixed to the portion 46 projecting therethrough, a cutter blade support bracket 48 which is apertured at 50.

Projecting through the aperture 50 is a headed shaft element 52, upon which is journaled for free pivotal action a pair of juxtaposed scissor-type blades 54 and 56 which include mutually cooperating, opposed cutting edges 58 and 60, respectively; see FIG. 1. The shaft element 52 includes compression spring pressing blades 54 and 56 "ice into overlying relation, and a suitable lock washer 58 is provided to hold the parts in assembled relation.

The blades 54 and 56 are normally sheltered or protected within the cover 42, protected from dust and foreign matter. The lower blade 56 has integrally joined therewith an angular lever portion 62 which is of a length suflicient to protrude through the side of the cover 42. Likewise, the upper blade 54 includes an angular lever 64 which is of a length suflicient to protrude through the cover 42. The housing includes a pair of opposed guide slots 66 and 68 (see FIG. 1) through which the terminal ends of the levers 62 and 64 project. The parts are normally in the solid line position shown in FIG. 1 due to the return action of spring 40 on the armature.

A piece of thread or the like is indicated at T, in a clearly visible and in a readily accessible position forward of and in the path of travel of the blades 54 and 56 and will be severed thereby when the blade edges 58 and 60 cross in shearing relation.

Operation will be clear to those skilled in the art, and, briefly, energization of the coil 26 causes the armature to move from right to left as seen in the drawing. Movement of the levers 62 and 64 along the respective guide slots 66 and 68 results in no blade operation until the levers abuttingly engage the forward edge of the respective slots. Once the levers 62 and 64 engage the forward limits of the slots, continued forward movement of the armature and the blades 54 and 56 result in the blades crossing in a shearing action to ultimately assume the phantom line positions shown in FIG. 1, for example, whereby the thread T will be severed.

De-energization of the solenoid coil 26 results in the parts returning to the solid line positions shown, i.e., when the levers 62 and 64 strike the rear limits of the slots 66 and 68, the blades 54 and 56 wil be reversepivoted about the shaft element 52 and ultimately disposed in the normal, solid line condition shown.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawing and described in the appended claims but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cutter assembly comprising a body member including power means operatively connected to a reciprocable blade support;

a cutter blade assembly mounted on said support for movement therewith from a normal position to an extended position;

and cutter blade assembly including a pair of blades journaled on said support and including means for permitting said blades to have an intersecting shear action;

said blades including operating lever means;

a housing on said body member disposed at least partially about said cutter blade assembly for normally protecting the same when the blades are in the normal position;

said housing including abutment portions engageable with said lever means for engagng the same in response to reciprocation of said blade support for causing an intersecting shear action when the blade assembly is extended to the cutting position.

2. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said power means comprises an electrical coil, said blade support comprising an armature axially reciprocable in said electrical coil, and a return spring in said body member and engaged with said armature and normally maintaining said blade assembly in a retracted position.

3. The structure as claimed'in claim 1 in which said lever means comprises a lever element integral with each of said respective blades and disposed angularly therefrom.

4. The structure as claimed in claim 3 in which said housing includes a pair of opposed guide slots through which the terminal ends of said lever elements respectively project, the guide slots including forward and rear limits 4 comprising said portions for engaging said lever means to cause said intersecting shearaction.

References. Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1912 Drury 83-607 X 2/1914 Rous 83-554 

1. A CUTTER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER INCLUDING POWER MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO A RECIPROCABLE BLADE SUPPORT; A CUTTER BLADE ASSEMBLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH FROM A NORMAL POSITION TO AN EXTENDED POSITION; AND CUTTER BLADE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A PAIR OF BLADES JOURNALED ON SAID SUPPORT AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR PERMITTING SAID BLADES TO HAVE AN INTERSECTING SHEAR ACTION; SAID BLADES INCLUDING OPERATING LEVER MEANS; A HOUSING ON SAID BODY MEMBER DISPOSED AT LEAST PARTIALLY ABOUT SAID CUTTER BLADE ASSEMBLY FOR NORMALLY PROTECTING THE SAME WHEN THE BLADES ARE IN THE NORMAL POSITION; SAID HOUSING INCLUDING ABUTMENT PORTIONS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID LEVER MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE SAME IN RESPONSE TO RECIPROCATION OF SAID BLADE SUPPORT FOR CAUSING AN INTERSECTING SHEAR ACTION WHEN THE BLADE ASSEMBLY IS EXTENDED TO THE CUTTING POSITION. 